Haven't flow in nearly a month since getting back from Haiti. Decide to go out, but make things interesting. Call up Jordan to go do some crosswind practice.
The wind is gusting pretty hard as we take off from Caldwell. METAR is reporting 13 gusting 25 knots out of 310. Whoo hoo.
Head over to Orange County (KMGJ) to do some pattern work. The automated weather is reporting 17 gusting 23 out of 300. KMGJ has two runways: 3-21 & 8-26, either way is going to be a pretty strong crosswind. No one but us crazy enough to be doing pattern work in this wind, so we have the airport pretty much to ourselves.
We start off on 26, which makes for a quartering headwind from the right . Have to fight the plane all the way to the ground. One second you think you have the centerline, the next you are off by 5 feet. The plane just wants to go all over the place. Bank into the wind, use the rudder to keep the plane pointed down the runway, and land on the upwind wheel first. Yeah, I know the theory, but doing it in this wind was something else. The trick, of course, is to fight the crosswind, but not to rush to put it down, but when putting it down make it nice and firm.
Flying the pattern is a bit of a challenge, too. Have to keep the nose pointed nearly 30 degrees into the wind to keep the ground track parallel to the runway. A really weird sensation---complete disconnect between the view out the window and what the plane is actually doing. Takeoffs are a challenge, too. On one take off, I look back, and find myself having drifted off the runway center line on the upwind by a good bit.
After 4 landings on 26, we switch it up and practice a few on 3. This time, a quartering approaching direct crosswind from the left. I had just gotten the hang of dealing with the wind coming from the right. And the wind feels like it's gotten a bit stronger too. And maybe because it is more of a direct crosswind, the plane really wants to weathervane, especially on low speed final approach. Don't think I've focused this much (or worked up this much of a sweat) doing landings in a long time.
After three more landings on 3, head back to CDW. Certainly an afternoon well spent. I know feel I can confidently land the 182 in pretty harsh crosswind conditions.
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